Sugared Cranberries... the healthier sweet tarts

Do you crave sweet and tart?  Do you want to stay away from those sugar loaded, unnaturally flavored and colored candy bites? Well friends, you have come to the right place.

We came across a recipe for sugared cranberries and immediately decided that we were going to try it (lets face it, here at TCC we're just a little obsessed with cranberries).  We were so thrilled with the outcome, that we decided to share with our faithful followers.  If you are planning on serving these at a party, you might want to double or triple the recipe, they tend to go quick.

Although this is an incredibly easy recipe, make sure that you give yourself at least 9 hours for soaking and  drying.

Sugared Cranberries:

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups water

Zest from 1 orange (or 1 tsp. orange extract)

1- 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries (picked over to remove any super soft cranberries)

3/4 cup superfine sugar*

Stir granulated sugar and water over heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Heat until mixture has come to a low boil.  Remove from heat.  Let the mixture stand for about 2 minutes to cool.

Transfer sugar syrup to a bowl (we used a plastic bowl with a lid), and add orange zest.  Pour in cranberries, cover and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

 

Drain cranberries in a colander over a bowl to reserve the steeping liquid (you can skip the reserving of liquid, although the syrup now has this nice cranberry tang to it that could be used in a cocktail, or as suggested by a friend, reduced down and used over pancakes!)

Place the superfine sugar in a shallow dish and add the cranberries, rolling them to coat with the sugar.  Place the sugared cranberries on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and let dry at room temperature for an hour or until the sugar has dried.

After the cranberries have dried, put them in their display bowl and prepare to watch them disappear.

Notes:

* If you can't find superfine sugar you can easily make your own.  Put some granulated sugar into a food processor and whirl it up for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Cooling the sugar syrup will help prevent the cranberries from popping once they've hit the liquid.

We soaked our cranberries in the syrup overnight, and dried the cranberries in an unheated oven for about 3 hours.